Trend Reversal: Persistence of Crises Reduces Employees' Willingness to Change Jobs

A recent survey of 258 HR consulting firms by the Federal Association of German Management Consultancies (BDU) shows that employees are once again more likely to stick with their jobs. 52 percent of the HR consulting firms surveyed said that candidates' willingness to change jobs had declined significantly since the beginning of the year.

Arne Arne Adrian, Managing Director of PAWLIK Recruiters and Chairman of the BDU’s Professional Personnel Consulting Association: "Many employees still no longer feel strongly committed to their company. In the past, this would have resulted in many of them resigning. Due to present uncertainties, however, more and more are deciding to remain in their company for the time being." Extrinsic motivators such as career and more money have less effect than the desire for continuity and a work-life balance.

According to the survey, the rate of rejected employment contract offers also increased significantly at 55 percent of the recruiting firms. "Skilled professionals and managers who want to switch companies can now pick and choose the best offer because there is a shortage of qualified applicants” explains Arne Adrian. From a candidate’s point of view, conditions for a good career move, including financial aspects, are now better than they have been in a long time.

As a consequence, companies have to make more of an effort to offer new employees more, especially in terms of personal development, corporate values and purpose. Companies have to have a convincing answer to the question "Why should I work for you?" Particularly in the startup and tech scene, the recruiting industry is seeing rising expectations from potential employees. A "hip product" alone is no longer attractive, according to the BDU board member; leadership skills are in demand.

86 percent of recruiting firms have positive business perspectives
Despite the challenges regarding candidates, the industry remains positive about the future. 86 percent of the companies surveyed rate their situation as "good" (40% over budget) or "satisfactory" (46%). In order to identify the best candidates to approach, recruiters have given the highest priority to digitalizing their processes in recent years (73%) and now also predominantly use digital tools to identify the best candidates to fulfill new requirements.

Arne Adrian

Arne Adrian is Managing Director of the PAWLIK Group and the personnel consultancy PAWLIK Recruiters, which fills top management positions internationally, incorporating scientific personnel diagnostics. In addition, the 56-year-old is Chairman of the Professional Personnel Consulting Association at the BDU (Federal Association of German Management Consultancies).

About the PAWLIK Group

The PAWLIK Group is a leader in Europe when it comes to the sustainable implementation of strategies. We put people at the center of everything we do. The group offers personnel and organizational development, HR consulting, digital consulting. The company was founded in 1996 by Joachim Pawlik in Hamburg. 500 experienced consultants and employees at 16 international locations help clients worldwide tackle their challenges. Through ventures and investments in innovative service providers, the PAWLIK Group is constantly expanding its range of services for digital transformation. The consulting approach is integrative, systemic and implementation oriented.

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